Power and energy: Slowed electricity demand and high interest rates have forced utilities to generate, transmit, and distribute power more efficiently

Because of the continued slow growth in electricity demand and the high cost of fossil fuels, utilities in the United States placed a high priority on saving money last year and improving the efficiency of generation, transmission, and distribution components. More emphasis was placed on high-voltage dc for efficient transmission of electricity over long distances and for linking back-to-back ac networks. Amorphous metals were used in the cores of new distribution and power transformers to decrease the energy wasted through core losses. And advances in superconducting generators also were aimed at saving energy.